Halladay takes issue with Mitch Williams' comments about Dubee

If he could, I think Roy Halladay would tell Mitch Williams to mind his own business.

Halladay was approached about Williams’ comments stating that the Phillies could benefit from a a new pitching coach, and he said the former Phillies closer was way off base.

“It really does upset me,” Halladay said. “It upsets me that guys outside our group of guys that don’t understand what’s going on here make comments like that. Hopefully it’s something he will learn from. I’m not sure if that’s the case. But it couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

Mitch Williams spoke at length this morning to Angelo Cataldi about the Phillies’ inconsistencies, and Williams didn’t hold back. He said Halladay’s issues were easy to see and identify on film and was annoyed that Rich Dubee stopped him from talking to his pitchers during spring training.

“I see things now, in this pitching staff that as a pitcher you don’t feel, that’s why there’s coaches,” Williams told WIP. “Halladay is struggling—when he was earlier, it was plain as day what was wrong and it wasn’t fixed. You watch things go on—it may be time for a new voice with the pitchers.”

Cataldi asked Williams if he thought the Phillies should find a new pitching coach.

“I don’t know, but I think they need to,” Williams said to Cataldi. “I really honestly do because as a pitching coach, you can sit and look at that film and not pick that up. If you can’t pick that up, there’s a problem.”

Halladay emphasized the amount of respect he has for Dubee and gave him a huge chunk of credit for getting Kyle Kendrick turned around.

“There’s no one way to do things,” Halladay said. “To think that you know the one way to do it is a little bit arrogant. I think he’s criticized a few guys in the past over their mechanics. It’s something I would never do.”

Dubee spoke to a couple of reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, about Williams’ comments but basically just shrugged them off.

“Maybe I hurt his feelings with the dust up, but I don’t know,” Dubee said. “Mitch has got a chance. He can apply to 30 teams [to be a pitching coach]. You know? I’ve got no comment to that. Maybe he got upset because I spoke to him about getting involved in our pitching, where I don’t think he belongs. Maybe he’s upset at that. But I don’t think other people belong in our pitching. Again, like I said, he’s got a chance to submit a resume.”